Singh faces secret leadership vote at WP special cadre conference on 28 June

Workers' Party secretary-general Pritam Singh faces a potential secret vote on his removal as party chief at a special cadre conference on 28 June 2026, following his criminal conviction for misleading Parliament and a subsequent internal reprimand from the party.

A notice sent to cadre members, as reported by state broadcaster CNA on 1 June 2026, confirmed the conference would be held following a requisition signed by 25 cadres. The gathering's three-part agenda sets out a direct process for determining Singh's leadership future.

Under the agenda, Singh is first required to account to cadres for his conviction, following the Singapore High Court's December 2025 ruling upholding the original District Court verdict. Cadres will then call on him to step down immediately as secretary-general, citing a breach of Article 30 of the party constitution, which obliges members to be "honest and frank in all dealings with the party and the people of Singapore."

Should Singh decline to resign voluntarily, the third item on the agenda provides for "a secret vote by cadres to decide if the secretary-general is to remain or step down."

The conference will be chaired by Gerald Giam, the Workers' Party's (WP) policy research head, and is scheduled to commence at noon.

The party's biennial ordinary cadre members' conference — at which cadres will elect a new secretary-general, chairperson, and 12 members to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) — is set to follow at 3pm the same day. Singh has been returned unopposed as party chief at each biennial election since succeeding Low Thia Khiang in 2018.

Cadres are defined as party members holding direct voting rights over leadership elections and have the authority to determine the party's direction at such gatherings. The WP declined to comment when approached by CNA.

How the conference was called

The special cadre conference was requested by cadres who had signed a letter calling for the gathering, with the original group numbering more than 20 members before the final requisition was made by 25.

The CEC had previously stated that the conference would only be called after the disciplinary panel had completed its inquiry.

That condition was met upon the CEC's announcement on 30 April 2026, and the notice convening the 28 June conference was issued within the period the party had indicated.

Background: conviction, reprimand, and removal

The sequence of events leading to the 28 June conference originated in a lie told in Parliament by then-WP Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan in August 2021.

During a parliamentary debate on sexual violence, Khan falsely claimed she had accompanied a rape survivor to a police station and had witnessed the survivor being re-traumatised by officers. The account was fabricated.

Khan repeated the false claim in September 2021 before disclosing the truth to Parliament in November 2021.

Parliament's Committee of Privileges (COP) investigated and found that Singh had been aware of Khan's lie shortly after it was first told. The COP concluded that Singh had advised Khan to maintain the false account rather than correct the record, and that he had subsequently misrepresented his own conduct to the committee when questioned.

On the basis of those findings, the matter was referred for criminal prosecution. Singh was charged, tried, and convicted by the District Court. 

He appealed, but the High Court upheld the conviction in December 2025, affirming the COP's core findings.

Internal disciplinary process

The High Court's ruling prompted the WP's CEC to establish an internal disciplinary panel, which was constituted in January 2026 with a three-month deadline. The panel comprised Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) MPs He Ting Ru and Associate Professor Jamus Lim, together with former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat.

The panel found that Singh had contravened Articles 20(1) and 30 of the party constitution, with those violations arising from the court's findings. The CEC accepted the panel's findings.

However, the CEC separately assessed that Singh had not intended to act against the party's principles, aims, or interests, and characterised his conduct as reflecting judgement calls he had been required to make. Weighing the totality of the circumstances, the CEC determined that a formal letter of reprimand was the appropriate response. The decision was announced on 30 April 2026.

Party Chair Sylvia Lim, Vice-Chair Faisal Manap, and Singh himself recused from the CEC meeting at which the decision was taken.

Singh removed as Leader of the Opposition

The conclusion of the disciplinary process follows broader institutional consequences for Singh stemming from his conviction.

On 14 January 2026, Parliament voted on a motion moved by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah, finding Singh unsuitable to continue as Leader of the Opposition (LO). All 11 WP MPs present — including He Ting Ru and Associate Professor Lim — voted against the motion.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong formally removed Singh from the LO role on 15 January 2026, citing the conviction and Parliament's position. Singh signalled on the same day, in a post on his personal Facebook page, that he intended to continue his parliamentary duties regardless.

Following the removal, Wong invited the WP to nominate another elected MP to serve as LO. The party formally declined on 21 January 2026, framing the refusal as a matter of democratic principle, arguing that the LO role flows from electoral outcomes rather than executive appointment.

The position has remained vacant since.